How will converting from an inverted Y setup to a T setup improve the steering you may ask? It's simple really. Notice that the tie rod on the light duty inverted Y steering (94-97) does not directly connect both wheels together. Instead it connects to the drag link which is then connected to the knuckle. This setup allows the tie rod to pivot as the axle moves up and down during normal suspension travel, which is exaggerated even more when traveling down very bumpy roads. The problem is that as the tie rod pivots it also changes the toe-in/toe-out of the alignment, which in turn causes the front end to “walk around” or “wander”. This design can also cause death wobble, even when all new parts are installed. The heavy duty T style steering eliminates the pivot point by utilizing a one-piece tie rod which is unaffected by suspension movement.

If you do a Google search on the subject you're likely to come across numerous discussions of using the T style steering from a 4th Gen Ram for the conversion. The problem here is that the tapered holes in the knuckles will have to be enlarged in order for the 4th Gen parts to fit. As a note you can't simply drill out the tapered holes, they require a larger diameter TAPERED hole and NOT a straight diameter hole. So, besides dropping big money on a custom steering setup what other options do you have? Why converting to the 98-99 HD steering of course!

98-99 Ram 2500/3500 trucks came with either the light duty inverted Y steering or the optional heavy duty T steering. The drawing below shows the 94-97 light duty inverted Y steering and the 98-99 heavy duty T steering. The HD steering option was only available for the 98-99 model trucks. One of the best parts of this conversion is that it is a direct bolt-on for the 94-97 trucks. However, there is one catch, in order to retain the steering dampener you will need a universal style bolt-on mount. I currently do not have a dampener installed and to be honest I really don't feel the need to use one with this steering.

Here are the parts you will need for the conversion. All part numbers are AC Delco Professional. These AC Delco Pro parts are actually re-branded Raybestos Pro parts. AC Delco Pro parts are easier to locate than Raybestos, which is I why I used them. To complicate things a bit more, these same parts are offered by NAPA under their own name for about 60% more than AC Delco Pro from RockAuto. CarQuest offers these parts under Raybestos Pro and are also about 60% higher than RockAuto. They are also available in Moog.

PN: 45A3074 Inner TieRod Rockauto Link

PN: 45A6011 Small Collar RockAuto Link

PN: 45A0811 TieRod End RockAuto Link

PN: 45A3073 Passenger Side Tierod RockAuto Link

PN: 45A6058 Large Collar amazon Link

PN: 45A0871 Drivers Side TieRod RockAuto link

You can do this conversion with the truck on the ground, in fact it makes keeping the alignment correct easier. Start off by making sure you're parked on level ground, wheels pointed straight ahead and the steering wheel straight. It would also be a good idea to chock the wheels as an added safety precaution. 

NOTE: I had the passenger side knuckle apart because I was replacing the ball joints when this picture was taken. This is NOT required for the steering conversion so please disregard.

First step is to remove the steering dampener bolts located at the arrows along with the dampener. The frame side bolt head is 15mm and the nut 18mm. The drag link side nut is 18mm.

Using needle nose pliers; remove the cotter pins from the driver, passenger, and pitman arm rod ends. Once the cotter pins are out, remove the nuts. Passenger and pitman arm nuts are 21mm, driver side is 22mm.

This image shows a pitman arm puller installed. It's a straight forward tool to use, just tighten down on the bolt head until the rod end pops out. I was unable to use this puller as it was damaged while removing a stubborn pitman arm.

This image shows a pickle fork being used. You wedge it flat side down in between the knuckle and rod end, then drive it in with a large hammer. The process is the same for the pitman arm rod end as well. A pickle fork works great for removing rod ends that will not be reused. You do NOT want to use them on rod ends that WILL be reused as they tend to destroy the rubber grease boots.

With all three rod ends popped free, remove the old steering assembly from the truck. Below is a comparison shot of the old inverted Y steering to the 98-99 HD T steering. The old tie rod measures out to 1.000” while the new one is 1.250”. Both drag links measure out the same at 1.125”.

Assembling the new steering is pretty self explanatory by looking at the above picture. One thing worth noting is that when assembling the new steering, make sure that there is an equal amount of thread showing between the rod ends as shown below.

There is an alignment bar (red arrow) attached to the old drag link that needs to be removed and installed on the new piece.

Loosen the 15mm alignment bar nut and slide it forward out of the way of the adjuster sleeve. Loosen the first adjuster sleeve screw, leaving the other tight. Unscrew the adjuster sleeve and short rod end together and remove them. Tap the alignment bar off of the old drag link and install it on the new one as shown below. Screw the new adjuster sleeve and rod end on and you're almost ready to install everything.

This would be a good time to install the grease zerks. The tie rod end zerks are 8mm and the drag link ends are 7mm.

Now you're going to adjust the tie rod adjuster sleeve until the tie rod fits into the knuckles WITHOUT moving the tires. Moving the tires will throw your alignment off which is what you're trying to avoid. Once the tie rod is bolted on, install the new supplied cotter pins.

Next you're going to loosely mount the drag link to the pitman arm being careful not to move it. Then adjust the drag link adjuster sleeve until the drag link reaches the mounting hole in the tie rod, again being careful not to move anything. You do NOT want your tires OR pitman arm to move. If either move, it will throw off your steering wheel alignment. Once the drag link is tightened up at both the pitman arm AND tie rod mounting points, install the new supplied cotter pins.

Here's everything all bolted up. I'm not running a steering dampener but they are easy enough to install if you so desire. All that is needed is a universal mounting kit and a new dampener. You can also weld on some mounting tabs as well.

A couple notes:

Even though you were careful to not move anything during the install you will still more than likely need to fine tune your alignment and steering wheel center. My alignment was darn close but my steering wheel was about a ¼ turn off.

I wasn't done centering my steering wheel yet when the picture was taken so the alignment bar was still slid down out of the way of the adjuster sleeve.

You will need to make a tool to press the new seal in to the axle tube. There are a few ways to go about doing this, below is just one example. I used some 1/4” plate for the cap, sanded down sch 40 PVC pipe that just fit the inside diameter of the seal, a couple feet of 3/8” all thread, and the top piece of a steering wheel puller as a crossbar. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then you have some serious reading to do!

I was replacing ball joints at the same time as I did the seal, which is why the knuckle was removed.

As you can see, my gear oil had water contamination due to the leaking seal. If gear oil can make it out, you can bet water will find it's way in.

Hopefully this little trick will save you some effort when the time comes to the intermediate shaft seal.

First off this can all easily be done in the truck, took me about 30 minutes the first time.

Unscrew the output line, this will also empty the resivoir, so flushing the system at the same time would be a good idea.

Then unscrew the fitting the output line screws into.  Here you can see the order of the things coming out, and should go back in.  In the picture the pressure relief valve is dissasembled, so it will only be one piece.

To mod the pump, drill the hole through the center of the plug out larger, stock is about .125" if I remember correctly.  I drilled mine out to .2" and it made a very noticable difference in the ease of steering.  There is also a hole out the side, I drilled another .125" hole on the oposite side.  And then as the second picture shows, there is a small hole in the side of the fitting, don't plug it when you drill through the hole it leads too.

There is also a pressure relief valve inside the pump, I would not recommend monkeying with it as it only comes into effect at full lock, or when you can hear the PS pump working hard to turn the wheels.  If you still want to adjust the valve, DO NOT shim it.  Stock the plug in the valve isn't totally seated, so you can just take it out, clean it up, and then seat the plug.  Seating the plug will increase the max pressure.  Increasing the pressure only effects the max steering/braking assist.  Increasing the pressure unneeded only raises the chance of carnage.

To take apart the valve, here's a handy trick I found, take care not to ruin the machined surfaces!

Here's the plug taken apart, notice the shim in the picture, this shim is not stock, and after testing, would render the pressure relief valve useless.

There is also a screen in the end of the pressure relief valve, if the screen gets plugged, it can cause weak power steering.  Even if you arn't going to mod the pump, cleaning the screen is a good idea if the pump is already drained.  

And for those curious of the pressure relief valves operation, this is my own personal opinion after staring at it for an hour, could be way off.

Crude sketch

When the pressure relief valve relieves pressure from beneath the piston, as the fluid goes through the small tube, there is a pressure loss, once the pressure difference between the top and bottom are 9psi, then the plunger gets pushed down and compresses the spring, opening the big bypass port.

OK first, when removing the pitman arm, don't worry about marking it so you can put it on the same way. It's splined and can only go on 4 ways.

First step, remove the pitman arm nut, it's a 32mm if I remember correctly. Then install your puller, make sure to grease it up plenty. I made my own but I'm pretty sure Harbor Freight has one for a decent price. Just make sure to use it within 89 days of buying it!

After soaking it for a week in PB blaster, giving it a fresh shot every day. And then fighting that thing for a few hours putting over 2500lb's of pressure trying to get it off, I found a simple trick. I removed the 4 15mm bolts holding the sway bar in place, torqued the puller to 135lb's, and gave it 3 good whacks in this spot with a BFH. Then it came right off. Just be careful not to hit the box, so maybe a BFH's little cousin would be a better choice.

Then to remove the steering shaft. If you turn the steering wheel so the top is facing the passengers door, the bolt (13mm) should be fairly easy to get to.

After you get that, remove the power steering fluid lines from the box, they are 18mm, If you're anything like me and wait for the box to blow up and loose all it's oil, then you don't have to worry about any oil wanting to leak out! otherwise, just put an oil pan under it and open both lines up and let it drain. I was able to go from the bottom and get the lines off fairly easily. But I've heard of some waiting to take them off til after the mounting bolts, and then just use a jack stand to suport the box until you get them off.

Then for the 3 mounting bolts, super simple, don't know what metric size they are, but a 13/16" is nice and snug so I just used it.

To ensure no mistakes were made, this was all done under the supervision of a highly trained professional!

Also, if you're like me and don't jack up the front end, when you reinstall the box, hook everything up, except the pitman arm, fill it with oil and turn it from lock to lock, top off the oil, lock to lock, top off the oil, lock to lock, and then hook it up, that way you don't have to drag the tires across the ground with manual steering to fill the new box with oil. But I would still take it for a short drive and top it off again once it cools down.

If you have any further questions, please feel welcome to ask them on the Mopar1973Man Forum.

This How-To is for replacing all the seals in the gear box.

For Steering Gear adjustment go here: Steering Gear Adjustment

For just replacing the pitman shaft seal. All you have to do are steps “pitman shaft disassembly” & “pitman shaft assembly”.

For replacing only the input shaft seal.  There are multiple ways of skinning this cat, you can pull the old one out with a couple scews.  Or you can slide the rotary valve assembly out enough to pull the front section off to replace the seal…  Either way, it’s straight forward, though I would recommend either watching some videos, or reading a write-up first just so you know what you’re working with.

If your box is as dirty as mine, I would suggest at least pulling the pitman arm and the piston out to clean everything up, you should be able to reuse the seals if need be.

A couple Notes, Tips, and Tricks:

Before we go and get our hands dirty.  First, we’ll have to, well, get our hands dirty.  Your first step should be to clean the living day lights out of the power steering gear box.  This is a messy job and so any dirt or debris on the outside, will likely end up on the inside.  Note, any dirt or debris on the inside will stay on the inside; it’s just the nature of this job.

Get yourself a large clean area to work in. Preferably somewhere if you drop a small ball bearing, you’ll be able to find it.  

Get some small containers to hold various parts, along with a bunch of rags.

Once you start to take it apart DO NOT spin the input shaft any more then necessary.  If you go too far, there are little balls that will not only fall out of there guides, but also get jammed and prevent you from being able to take it apart.

There are a lot of shims and seals, take note on how everything comes apart.  So you can put it back in the same orientation as it came apart.  Try and place things on the workbench in a way to make it easier to remember.

Before removing a seal, make sure you have a new one in your rebuild kit, also make sure to lube each seal before installing it, along with any moving parts.  When lubing seals and O-rings, it is best to dip them, you don’t want to stretch them out if you rub the oil onto them.

Pitman Shaft Disassembly

Here it sits, unsuspecting and unawares.

1. Take out the (4) 9/16” bolts holding the top cover on, along with the over center adjustment locknut.  Now pull up on the cover, (you can also push in on the pitman arm, using a hammer to tap if necessary).

2.  Now spin the cover 180* degrees, you should be able to see the teeth on the pitman arm shaft, there are 3 teeth in total.  Center them in the hole so you can pull the pitman arm up through the top

3.  Take your screwdriver and remove the first pitman shaft seal

http://s20.postimg.org/i66fhigkt/PS_Gear_052.jpg

4.  Then take the snap ring out and then other pitman shaft seal, along with the washers.  Make note of every things orientation.

Piston Disassembly

5.  Now move to the back of the box, there is a snap ring holding the plug in the end, remove it.  To do so, there is a hole on the outside you can put a punch into to dislodge the snap ring.
      

6.  To push the plug out, turn the input shaft all to the left.  Do not go any further then needed, and do not turn it back to the right. 
           

7.  Get ready for the piston to come out, which means having a clear work area encase any balls fall out, along with a container to put them all in.  Once ready, then continue to turn the input shaft to the left.  The piston will then come out of the housing, once turning the input shaft doesn’t push it out any further.  Continue to push/pull the piston out by hand.  Be sure to come straight out, as it likes to bind. 

8.  Now remove the two strap bolts, along with the tube, be ready for some balls to come out.

9.  Put the piston in the vice with some wood blocks or rags to protect it, and remove the 1” hex plug. 

Rotary Valve Disassembly

10.  Now remove the adjuster lock nut with a punch, and then the adjuster plug with a spanner wrench.

11.  To remove the input shaft and rotary valve assembly from the housing, pull on the input shaft, you may need to (using a soft punch or block of wood) tap on the worm shaft within the housing to help get it out.  There are some washers, and a pancake bearing that go on the worm shaft, be sure to make note of the orientation. 

12.  Clean everything up as good as possible before taking apart the rotary valve.

13.  To replace the input shaft seal, the front part should slip right off the input shaft.  Use a screwdriver to pry the old seal out, and use a socket of the right size to press the new seal back in.  Dip the seal in PS fluid before installation.

14.  To take apart the rotary valve remove the brown O-ring on the end, and tap the input shaft in, it should come apart.

15.  Take note how it comes apart.

16.  Clean the crap out of everything.

Input Shaft Assembly

17. Remove the Teflon seals, and the O-rings underneath them on the rotary valve.

 
18.  Take the new Teflon ones and boil them in water for 5-10 minutes, dry them, dip them in PS fluid, then reinstall.  Try not to twist, or stretch them anymore then you have to.

19.  Reassemble.  There is a peg in the input shaft, and a hole in the rotary valve that must go together (1st pic).  And a slot and peg that must go together in the 2nd pic (peg not shown). 

20.  Now press the whole assembly into the housing, do not press on the input shaft.

Piston Assembly

21.  After cleaning everything, replace the Teflon seal like you did the others; boil it in water for 5-10 minutes, dry, then lube.  Try not to stretch or twist it more then necessary. 

22.  The part you’ve been waiting for!  Working with all them little balls!  Clean them all up, and sort them.  Half of them are shiny chrome looking, and half are a duller steel. (there is still a dull one in the chrome bin in the picture).

23.  OK, now there is a couple ways of doing this, you can either buy the special tool, use a lot of bearing grease and hope the balls stick to the piston walls. Or make your own tool for the job…  You may be able to find something that will work, it just has to keep the balls pressed to the outside, and be able to slip out when you install the piston.

24.  Now install your special tool into the housing, make sure to push it in from the side with the O-ring.  Start by pushing the ball bearings in.  You want to alternate between shinny and dull.  I like to drop on down the hole, then push it in a little ways with a punch, and then the next one.  While saying “Chrome…. Dull…. Chrome….. Dull” to help remember which one I just did.  I also think it’s a good idea to give them a little coat of grease as well.

25.  You want to keep pushing them in the piston till you have 3 of each color let, 6 total.  Then block the ends of the tube with a dab of grease, and put the balls in place.  Remember to keep the alternating pattern going, and remember to install it the correct way to make the alternating pattern match what’s in the piston already.

Picture is wrong, should be 6 not 4, makes life easier.

26.  Put the two halves of the tubes together, set them in place, might take a little tap from a hammer to get them to sit correctly, and then install the straps down and you’re set.  IIRC, you’re supposed to tighten the bolts to 4 ftlb’s.

27.  OK, now with the worm gear already in the housing, push the piston into it’s final home, make sure your tool stays pushed up against the worm shaft, while you turning the worm shaft to the right (pull the piston in).  Doing so will make it so while you push the piston in, the balls that a being kept in place by your special tool, will slip over the worm shaft into there final home.

Pitman Shaft Assembly

28.  Dip all the seals in PS fluid, and install, make sure to go in square, and don’t forget the snap ring in-between.

29.  Now wrap the pitman shaft in one layer of electrical tape, to protect your new seals.  And push it in from the top, ensure the piston teeth are centered in the housing.

30.  Install the top cover with the lip of the rubber seal facing the cover, and bolt it down.

31.    Put the 1” hex plug back in the back of the piston.

32.  Install the O-ring for the big housing plug, along with the plug and the snap-ring, make sure to put the ends of the snap ring near the hole you used to get it out with, just so the next person doesn’t have to fight it.

The instructions that came with my gates kit, were crap, so I thought I would make my own.  Anything I should add or change, let me know.